أَمُساوِرٌ أَم قَرنُ شَمسٍ هَذا

أَمُساوِرٌ أَم قَرنُ شَمسٍ هَذا

أَم لَيثُ غابٍ يَقدُمُ الأُستاذا

أَم لَيثُ غابٍ يَقدُمُ الأُستاذا

Is this an assailant, or a horn of the sun,

Is this Musawir, or is it the horn of the sun?

Or a woodland lion advancing before the master?

Or a lion of the forest leading the Master?

شِم ما اِنتَضَيتَ فَقَد تَرَكتَ ذُبابَهُ

شِم ما اِنتَضَيتَ فَقَد تَرَكتَ ذُبابَهُ

قِطَعاً وَقَد تَرَكَ العِبادَ جُذاذاً

قِطَعاً وَقَد تَرَكَ العِبادَ جُذاذاً

Sheathe what you drew, for you have left its edge

Sheathe what you have drawn, for you have left its edge

In pieces, while it has left men in fragments.

In fragments, just as it has left the people cut to shreds.

هَبكَ اِبنَ يَزداذٍ حَطَمتَ وَصَحبَهُ

هَبكَ اِبنَ يَزداذٍ حَطَمتَ وَصَحبَهُ

أَتَرى الوَرى أَضحَوا بَني يَزداذا

أَتَرى الوَرى أَضحَوا بَني يَزداذا

Granted that you shattered Ibn Yazdadh and his companions,

Suppose you have shattered Ibn Yazdad and his cohort,

Do you think mankind has become sons of Yazdadh?

Do you deem that all mankind have become sons of Yazdad?

غادَرتَ أَوجُهَهُم بِحَيثُ لَقِيتَهُم

غادَرتَ أَوجُهَهُم بِحَيثُ لَقِيتَهُم

أَقفائَهُم وَكُبودَهُم أَفَلاذا

أَقفائَهُم وَكُبودَهُم أَفَلاذا

You left their faces, where you encountered them,

You left their faces behind where you encountered them,

Like the backs of their heads, and their livers in chunks.

Turning their napes, and leaving their livers in slivers.

في مَوقِفٍ وَقَفَ الحِمامُ عَلَيهِمِ

في مَوقِفٍ وَقَفَ الحِمامُ عَلَيهِمِ

في ضَنكِهِ وَاِستَحوَذَ اِستِحواذا

في ضَنكِهِ وَاِستَحوَذَ اِستِحواذا

In a place where death stood over them,

In a stand where Death itself stood over them,

In its narrow confines, and took full hold of them.

In its crushing press, and seized them with total dominion.

جَمَدَت نُفوسُهُمُ فَلَمّا جِئتَها

جَمَدَت نُفوسُهُمُ فَلَمّا جِئتَها

أَجرَيتَها وَسَقَيتَها الفولاذا

أَجرَيتَها وَسَقَيتَها الفولاذا

Their lifeblood froze; then, when you came upon it,

Their souls had frozen solid, but when you descended upon them,

You set it flowing and gave it steel to drink.

You made them flow again, and gave them steel to drink.

لَمّا رَأَوكَ رَأَوا أَباكَ مُحَمَّداً

لَمّا رَأَوكَ رَأَوا أَباكَ مُحَمَّداً

في جَوشَنٍ وَأَخا أَبيكَ مُعاذا

في جَوشَنٍ وَأَخا أَبيكَ مُعاذا

When they saw you, they saw your father Muhammad

When they beheld you, they beheld your father Muhammad,

In a coat of mail, and your father's brother Muadh.

Clad in chainmail, alongside your father’s brother, Mu'adh.

أَعجَلتَ أَلسُنَهُم بِضَربِ رِقابِهِم

أَعجَلتَ أَلسُنَهُم بِضَربِ رِقابِهِم

عَن قَولِهِم لا فارِسٌ إِلّا ذا

عَن قَولِهِم لا فارِسٌ إِلّا ذا

You gave their tongues no time, striking their necks,

You hastened their tongues by striking at their necks,

To say, 'There is no horseman but this one.'

Before they could utter, "There is no horseman but this one."

غِرٌّ طَلَعتَ عَلَيهِ طِلعَةَ عارِضٍ

غِرٌّ طَلَعتَ عَلَيهِ طِلعَةَ عارِضٍ

مَطَرَ المَنايا وابِلاً وَرَذاذا

مَطَرَ المَنايا وابِلاً وَرَذاذا

He was inexperienced; you loomed over him like a raincloud

A deluded fool, upon whom you rose like a storm cloud,

That rained death in downpour and drizzle.

Raining down dooms, in torrential downpours and drizzle.

فَغَدا أَسيراً قَد بَلَلتَ ثِيابَهُ

فَغَدا أَسيراً قَد بَلَلتَ ثِيابَهُ

بِدَمٍ وَبَلَّ بِبَولِهِ الأَفخاذا

بِدَمٍ وَبَلَّ بِبَولِهِ الأَفخاذا

So he became a captive: you had soaked his clothes

So he became a captive; you had soaked his garments

With blood, while he wet his thighs with his urine.

With blood, while he soaked his thighs with urine.

سَدَّت عَلَيهِ المَشرَفِيَّةُ طُرقَهُ

سَدَّت عَلَيهِ المَشرَفِيَّةُ طُرقَهُ

فَاِنصاعَ لا حَلَباً وَلا بَغداذا

فَاِنصاعَ لا حَلَباً وَلا بَغداذا

The Mashrafi swords barred his paths,

The Mashrafi blades blocked off all his paths,

So he turned aside—neither to Aleppo nor to Baghdad.

So he turned in flight—making neither for Aleppo nor Baghdad.

طَلَبَ الإِمارَةَ في الثُغورِ وَنَشؤهُ

طَلَبَ الإِمارَةَ في الثُغورِ وَنَشؤهُ

ما بَينَ كَرخايا إِلى كَلواذا

ما بَينَ كَرخايا إِلى كَلواذا

He sought governorship on the frontiers, though his upbringing

He sought the emirate in the frontier lands, yet his origin

Was between Karkhaya and Kalwadha.

Lay merely between Karkhaya and Kalwadha.

فَكَأَنَّهُ حَسِبَ الأَسِنَّةَ حُلوَةً

فَكَأَنَّهُ حَسِبَ الأَسِنَّةَ حُلوَةً

أَو ظَنَّها البَرنِيَّ وَالآزاذا

أَو ظَنَّها البَرنِيَّ وَالآزاذا

So it is as though he thought spearheads sweet,

As though he deemed the spearheads to be sweet confections,

Or took them for Barni and Azadh dates.

Or imagined them to be Barni and Azad dates.

لَم يَلقَ قَبلَكَ مَن إِذا اِختَلَفَ القَنا

لَم يَلقَ قَبلَكَ مَن إِذا اِختَلَفَ القَنا

جَعَلَ الطِعانَ مِنَ الطِعانِ مَلاذا

جَعَلَ الطِعانَ مِنَ الطِعانِ مَلاذا

Before you, he had never met one who, when spears crossed,

Before you, he never met one who, when the lances crossed,

Made spear-thrusts a refuge from spear-thrusts.

Made the thrust of battle a refuge from the thrust of battle.

مَن لا تُوافِقُهُ الحَياةُ وَطيبُها

مَن لا تُوافِقُهُ الحَياةُ وَطيبُها

حَتّى يُوافِقَ عَزمُهُ الإِنفاذا

حَتّى يُوافِقَ عَزمُهُ الإِنفاذا

One whom life and its pleasures do not suit

One whom life and its sweetness do not please,

Until his resolve finds fulfillment.

Until his resolve meets its full execution.

مُتَعَوِّداً لُبسَ الدُروعِ يَخالُها

مُتَعَوِّداً لُبسَ الدُروعِ يَخالُها

في البَردِ خَزّاً وَالهَواجِرِ لاذا

في البَردِ خَزّاً وَالهَواجِرِ لاذا

Accustomed to wearing coats of mail, he imagines them

Accustomed to the wearing of armor, imagining it to be

Silk-and-wool in the cold, and fine silk in the noonday heat.

Silk in the bitter cold, and fine linen in the midday heat.

أَعجِب بِأَخذِكَهُ وَأَعجَبُ مِنكُما

أَعجِب بِأَخذِكَهُ وَأَعجَبُ مِنكُما

أَن لا تَكونَ لِمِثلِهِ أَخّاذا

أَن لا تَكونَ لِمِثلِهِ أَخّاذا

How astonishing your capture of him! More astonishing than you both

I marvel at your capture of him, yet more marvelous than you both,

Is that you are not wont to capture his like.

Is that you should ever be the captor of his like.